Posted on 11/10/2005 7:25:46 AM PST by TennesseeGirl
Friend: Boy's image 'all for show' By JAMIE SATTERFIELD, satterfield@knews.com November 10, 2005
JACKSBORO, Tenn. - He looked like a stone-cold killer, bloody, handcuffed and smirking. But Ashley Nance is convinced it was all an act, one she's seen many times from this once-pudgy 15-year-old boy who, she says, got a kick out of looking bad. --snip--
Bartley is accused in a shooting Tuesday afternoon at Campbell County Comprehensive High School in Jacksboro that left Assistant Principal Ken Bruce dead and two others - Principal Gary Seale and Assistant Principal Jim Pierce - wounded.
The teenager sits now in a Knoxville detention center, facing the toughest charge on Tennessee's law books - first-degree murder. --snip--
Nance said Bartley has been abusing drugs for several years, first smoking marijuana and later turning to prescription painkillers such as OxyContin. Although officials Wednesday would not discuss Bartley's criminal past, Nance and others said he was on probation from earlier juvenile court woes that included drug use and a violent encounter with his mother. --snip--
Bartley's family has declined comment. The teen's attorney, Mike Hatmaker, did not return phone calls.
Bartley lives with his father, Ken Bartley Sr., a man who himself is a contradiction.
The elder Bartley is a well-respected businessman and former LaFollette city councilman. He also shot a man to death in 1981.
The fatal shooting of Jack Stout, 33, inside the elder Bartley's business, Kenny's Pioneer convenience store, came after Stout accused the elder Bartley of sleeping with his wife, according to newspaper accounts.
The elder Bartley insisted he acted in self-defense because Stout attacked him. A Campbell County grand jury ultimately agreed, refusing to indict Bartley Sr., who had been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
(Excerpt) Read more at knoxnews.com ...
A well-respected businessman who was raided last week for gambling machines.
Yep, just waiting for the Asst. Principal to get up and laugh that his death was just an act.
Sounds like this kid had troubles before this tragedy. I hope he gets all the help he needs while he spends the rest of his life in prison.
all for show. Apparently not.
How did a 14 year old boy, who's now a 15 year old murderer, manage to get Oxycontin?? His parents had to know.
Very well put!
Sounds like this guy should have gone to the slammer...seems like if you're a "well-respected businessman" you can get away with just about anything. Rotten tree producing bad fruit....
'Well connected' sounds more likely. I wonder if he still has enough pull to get his son off with just another juvenile count.
On the Michael Silence blog, a resident of Campbell County said the parents divorced when he was small. He was never disciplined. He violently attacked his mother a couple of years ago and was sent away; he now lives with his father, by the way.
Campbell County has a rampant problem with Hepatitis A (due to personal hygiene), a sheriff who's son is reputedly a major drug dealer, a mayor who was busted last week for gambling in Kenny's Sr.'s establishment. There is a huge undercurrent of drugs and dealing in that county. I worked in La Follette for a few months. It was disgusting. The women get up each morning to go to work, usually in an industrial or sewing plant, in Knoxville (30 minute drive); the men hung out at convenience stores smoking all day or slept after fishing all night and complained about the lack of jobs. This county represents the worst sterotypes of Appalachia. How could the boy's parents not know? They would have known because there is a history of his drug use and violence. The oxycontin and pot? He probably has family, friend's, or a friend's family that deals.
PS: If you're passing through Tennessee on I-75 DO NOT eat in Jacksboro, Caryville, La Follette, Jellico, or Lake City. If you have eaten there, get tested for Hep A. They can't get a handle on it, and it's been going on for over a year.
Had it been an act, the weapons would have been loaded with blanks.
Yep!
The apple does not fall far from the tree?
Like father. Like son.
Let's see if the kid can beat the rap.
Several years back, we had a kid in Pinellas County, Florida break into a house steal a gun,go to a school and shoot the assistant principle and principle if memory serves me right.I believe that one of the shooting victims died but cannot swear that that happened He also took a shot at a cop that was attempting to apprehend him.
I think that his lawyers blamed his actions on the homeowner whose home he broke into. The judge sentenenced him as a youthful offender. He served a short sentenence, learned to play several sports and was released.
So don't be surprised if he walks free or just gets his wrist patted,not slapped, lightly.
When lawyers, judges, and juriors get together in a courtroom, anything but justice can happen.
Thanks for the tip. I just don't just pass trhough Tennessee; I live in west Knox County.
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